Devotional: “Father” is a word foreign to many of us. We are not sure what it means to speak of God as our Father. In the ancient Near East the father was the sovereign authority in the household. He was the owner of the property. He was the one who gave inheritance. He was believed to be the one whose seed brought life into the earth (the ancients were not aware of the woman’s contribution to the reproductive process). He was the one who protected against enemies and negotiated treaties with friends.
As God revealed himself to the world he did so in language they understood. God’s revelation of Father show us that he is a protector, a sustainer, a life-giver, a sovereign, and a provider. Jesus was uniquely the Son of the Father in that he shared the Father’s nature and that he was chosen by the Father to be God’s King over the earth. Yet because of Jesus we are consider adopted children as well. Through Jesus we come to know God as Father, our Father.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for sharing your Father with us. Thank you for preventing us from being spiritual orphans with no one to watch over us. You have adopted us into your family as brothers and sisters.
Action Step: Read Romans 8.1-25 and meditate on how God adopts us as siblings of Jesus into heaven’s family through the Holy Spirit. Write down your reflections.
